1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, in general, to plant support apparatus, and, in particular, to plant supports which are collapsible and which may be manipulated to provide plant enclosures and bedding protectors of selected shape for a covering.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The desirability of having a plant support to aid a plant in maintaining its stalk or trunk integrity and to support branches, and particularly fruit bearing branches, has long been recognized.
Besides providing support to the plant to prevent bending or destruction by strong winds or the weight of the plant itself, it is important to keep fruit from contacting the ground. It is also important that the support be collapsible for storage. Inventions including such structure are typified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,073,091, issued to Vogel; 4,005,548, issued to Nahon; 4,211,033 issued to Ringer and 3,113,400, issued to Edmond.
Existing plant supports fail to provide a plant support with a sufficient number of sides such as to remain close to the plant and yet remain collapsible. Five, and preferably more side portions, have been found necessary to encircle a plant so that the side portions adequately support branches of varying length. It is also highly preferred that each vertical rod be rotatably connected to horizontal rods so as to pivot substantially 360.degree. so that the plant support may assume a variety of shapes, as viewed in horizontal cross-section, as it encircles the plant. This is true because of the irregular shape of most plants.
It is also important that all horizontal rods be frictionally held in vertical orientation and parallel spaced from other horizontal rods of adjacent horizontal rings, while being fully rotatable.